Charles albert long



Patented Man 7,1899. 6. A. LONG.

HOE.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

wfi sszs y W EU @RMMZL Lo II n, flax-gays, 29) a i NITED STATES:

PATEN' FIEQ HOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,849, dated March'7, 1899.

Application filed January 25, 1899. Serial No. 703,369. (No model.)

T all whom, it may concern:

Beitknown that I, CHARLES ALBERT LONG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pomeroy, in the county of Garfield and State of WVashington,have invented a new and useful Hoe, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to hoes; and the object of the invention is toprovide a simple and efficient device which in the preferredconstruction thereof consists of a blade, a handle, and a shank forattaching the handle to the blade, and these parts maybe made of anysuitable material, and the point of attachment between the shank and theblade is upon the center of gravity of the latter, whereby the weight ofthe blade is evenly distributed at all places about said point ofattachment when a point of the blade is in use or when any part of saidblade between its points is in operation, and by reason of this peculiarfeature when the cutting edge of the blade is utilized for severing orincising a root or stalk said cutting edge will be caused to evenly passthrough the root or stalk and make a clean clear cut.

In the present case the blade is concavoconvex in cross-section, and thehandleis secured to the blade upon the convex side thereof, so that whenthe blade is incontact with the earth the simple act of drawing the sameforward will cause the cutting edge or point thereof to enter the groundor earth, the depth being regulated simply by upward or downwardpressures, as the case may be, upon the draft or grasping end of the,handle. By reason also of this feature of construction the act ofpulling the blade forward so disposes the cutting edge thereof at aproper inclination to the soil that the latter acts to sharpen ormaintain said edge at the proper bevel, thereby keeping the same inproper condition for use as a cutting implement.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel combinationof elements and in the construction and-arrangement offorming a part ofthis specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hoeconstructed in accordance with m y invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionthereof, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 3, and illustrating the peculiardishing of the blade. Fig. 3 is a sectional face View, the section beingtaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showingthe wed ge-shaped separatingdevice.

Like characters denote like and correspondingparts in each of theseveral figures of the drawings.

In the drawings the blade of the hoe is designated by A, and it issubstantially angular in shape and is provided with a series of threeacute points 2, 3, and 4, located at remote distances apart andseparated by concave edges a, b, and c, by reason of which I am enabledto obtain very sharp points, which aid materially in sinking the bladeinto the ground when used in certain cases. The concaved edge 0 isbounded'by the curved lines 5 and 6, which merge into the points 3 and4t and touch at a place perpendicular to the point 2, as shown clearlyin Fig. 1, and these three concave portions are beveled or sharpened toproduce cutting edges for cutting weeds and the like.

The handle 7 of the hoe is usually made of wood and is secured inthe'ordinary manner in the socket S of the shank 9, that part of theshank immediately adjacent to the blade being curved and having its heel10 secured to the convexed or rounded surface of the blade, so that thecenter of the point of attachment of said heel and the center of gravityof the blade will agree, whereby the weight of the blade is equallydistributed at all points about the shank-heel 10, so that when anyportion of the blade is in use the portions not in use will serve tocounterbalance the operating or working part.

I prefer to make the blade in concavo-convex shape, and uponaninspection of Fig. 2

of the drawings it will be observed that the handle 7, through theintermediate shank 9, is connected with the convex or bulged side of theblade, so that as the latter is drawn forward the draft exerted upon theblade transversely thereof will tend to sink the cutting edge into theground, the depth being regulated simply by the pressure of the userupon the handle transversely thereof-that is to say, if the hoe tends tosink too deeply into the ground the pressure will be upward, and if itis necessary to lower the same the pressure upon the handle will bedownward, and these efiects can be regulated with great nicety and easeby the user. When the point 2 is sunk into the ground and the cuttingedge or concave surface a strikes an obstruction, such as a root, thelateral motion of the blade will be prevented by the soil or earth assaid blade moves forward, the pressure being applied at right angles tothe cutting edge I), so that said cutting edge a will be caused tocleanly pass through the root and the latter will be severed with ashearing cut.

The blade constructed has three points 2, 3, and 4, each of which iscapable of use for certain purposes, and the concaved portions a b 0between said points can be used for other purposes.

In connection with the shank 9 I provide a wedge-shaped separatingdevice which is secured to and depends from the curved portion thereofand which is also fixed to the blades, these parts usually being made inone piece, and the sharpened or cutting edge of this device is adaptedto come in contact with the soil as the hoe-blade is drawn forward, sothat the soil is separated into two portions and the wedge-shaped deviceat its upper side is of substantially the same width as the curvedportion of the shank, so as to deflect or guide the earth away from theshank, as when such earth is wet or damp it tends to clog or stick tothe shank to such an extent as to interfere with the easy operation ofthe implement.

The concave portions (1, b, and c are shown as being relatively deep,thereby securing three very acute points, which assures theirpenetration into the earth with great facility, this action beingaugmented by the concavoconvexity of the blade, and the degree ofentrance of the latter into the soil can be easily adjusted by raisingor lowering the handle. Also a wide surface can be covered by theexpenditure of a minimum amount of power.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. An implement ofthe class specified consisting of a blade having a series of three acutepoints separated by concaved edges, and a shank connected with theblade, the place of attachment of the shank to the blade being upon thecenter of gravity of the latter, substantially as described.

2. An implement of the class specified, including a concavo-convex bladehaving a series of acute points separated respectively by concavededges.

3. An implement of the class described consisting of a blade having aseries of three acute points separated by concaved edges, andconcavo-convex in cross-section, and a shank connected with the blade,the place of attachment on'the shank to the blade being upon the centerof gravity of the latter, substantially as described.

4. An implement of the class specified, in-

cluding a concavo-convex blade having a series of acute points separatedrespectively by concaved edges, a shank connected with the blade, and awedge-shaped separating device secured to the shank and also to theblade the width of said wedge-shaped device at its widest point beingsubstantially the sameas that of the shank.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES ALBERT LONG.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, FRANCES PEYTON SMITH.

